Latest news with #zoningbylaw
CTV News
6 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Moose Jaw city council moves ahead with bylaw to require approval of supportive housing projects
Moose Jaw City Hall can be seen in this file photo In a near split vote, Moose Jaw councillors passed a motion to amend the city's zoning bylaw to require a council vote for supportive housing projects in some areas. The motion, presented by Coun. Patrick Bailey, requests supportive housing be reclassified from 'Permitted Use' to a 'Discretionary Use' in three zoning districts. 'This motion is a very simple change within the bylaw structure we have in the city,' Bailey said at a council meeting Monday night. 'The two uses result in the same path if they're followed and done in the correct way.' The amendment seeks to expand the use of council discretion for applications related to initiatives including residential care homes, supportive housing, and community service institutions, and introduce additional administrative processes such as mandatory public notification and council review. Moose Jaw already bans supportive housing projects in most zones, with council discretion in medium-density residential areas. The amendment would add high density residential areas, the city's core and commercial districts to the discretionary use. 'We're talking about public engagement, consultation in your neighborhood,' Bailey added. 'Where you live, where you walk the streets and what you do. There should be some added discretion applied to it.' Council passed the motion to task city administration with formulating the revised bylaw 4-3. Councillors Bailey, Delaurier, Logan and Mayor James Murdock voted in favour, while Councillors Eby, Luhning and Warren were against the motion. 'There would be disastrous, unintended consequence,' Coun. Heather Eby said. In a report to council, administration warned the bylaw change could result in extended delays for applicants seeking to establish supportive housing developments. At its worst, administrators added the city could face a legal challenge on the grounds of discrimination. 'I am not comfortable opening up the City of Moose Jaw for litigation,' Eby said. 'There are instances where it happens. I don't want Moose Jaw being on CTV National News for that reason.' According to administration, other Canadian cities – including Winnipeg – have attempted similar bylaw amendments which faced legal challenges. 'In general, land use regulations that distinguish uses based on the characteristics of their occupants, rather than the physical form or function of the use, have been subject to legal scrutiny in other jurisdictions,' the report said. 'Supportive housing is about people,' Coun. Dawn Luhning said. 'When we talk about people zoning – if this passes – this is what Moose Jaw is going to start doing. [Council] is going to be deciding what's appropriate for certain neighborhoods.' Other council members in support of the motion believed there would be added steps of consultation as part of the process. 'We need more community involvement,' Coun. Carla Delaurier said. 'We're looking at specialized services within our residential areas, specifically.' 'With what we allow under supportive housing, a 'sex offender hostel' could easily be set up in any area. Would there be any public accountability there?' she added. Additionally, Moose Jaw does not permit emergency residential shelters within low-density residential areas, including one and two-unit dwellings, semi-detached dwellings, and street townhouses; on sites deemed unsuitable due to adjacent land uses that may pose life safety risks; or within 250 metres of any public or private school. 'These restrictions are designed to emphasize that the city is regulating land use and building form, not the people occupying these facilities,' administration added. 'This is through and through discrimination against people [who] require different needs than maybe the rest of us,' Coun. Luhning said. 'We're not saying, 'No, you can't have these facilities,' Coun. Jamey Logan responded. 'We're saying, 'you have to do your homework ahead of time and get some engagement,' to bring it to council.' Moose Jaw's city administration is expected to return to council on Sept. 22 with the revised bylaw wording for final approval.
CTV News
09-07-2025
- General
- CTV News
Edmonton 8-unit infill debate to continue into 2027
Fencing surrounds an empty lot on July 9, 2025, in Edmonton's North Glenora neighbourhood that's slated to have an eight-unit building constructed on it. Five years ago, an infill builder rubbed neighbours in North Glenora the wrong way, using an empty lot to store dirt. Now, it's home to infill housing with people living in them. But resident Tony Thibaudeau says the new wave of Edmonton neighbourhood rejuvenation goes too far when it comes to allowing eight-unit infill developments on a single lot. Two doors down on a fenced-off lot, a city sign indicates an eight-plex is slated to be constructed on it. 'Six, by my virtue, is too many, eight's ridiculous, and then on top of that, no provision for parking,' Thibaudeau told CTV News Edmonton on Wednesday. 'What are they thinking?' 'They' are city councillors, who passed a revamped zoning bylaw two years ago. It came into effect at the beginning of 2024 after a five-year process by the city to overhaul it. It was the first time Edmonton's zoning rules had been broadly reviewed since 1961. The changes allowed developers to build larger and multi-unit buildings on most lots across the city. City council passed several changes to the infill bylaw on Tuesday, including a reduction of side entrances and length limitations for mid-block infill developments. Infills must also be further from the property line, adding space between buildings, have just two side entrances, and require the street-facing facade look more like a house with more windows and covered doorways. 'The built form has been reduced, and that's pretty much the primary concern that we heard all along the line,' Aaron Paquette, councillor for Ward Dene, told media on Tuesday. The decisions capped four days of a public hearing for the proposed changes. But while they approved tweaks to the bylaw that address infill housing projects, one major decision on density has been kicked down the road. Mid-block multiplexes are being scrutinized, even in neighbourhoods where other forms of infill are starting to blend in. A new city council will continue that debate into early 2027 after another round of consultation with residents.
CBC
03-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
Child-care centres are popping up all over Edmonton. But not everyone is in favour
Social Sharing When Wanda Johnston first learned that a home in her quiet Canossa neighbourhood in north Edmonton would be converted into a child-care centre, she was upset. The approved permit allows for a facility serving up to 34 children inside a 1,486-square-foot home. But Johnston worries about the extra traffic in a community she says is already strained for space. "We're a quiet neighbourhood, you've got 26 houses, 13 on each street. Parking is already an issue," Johnston said in an interview. "You can't have 40-plus vehicles plus eight staff trying to find parking, you just can't." Johnston filed an appeal against the development, citing major concerns over traffic, noise, waste disposal, and parking congestion. That appeal was denied last month by the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board. CBC reached out to the owner of the proposed daycare site but he declined to comment. Zoning bylaw renewal The number of child-care centres approved for residential neighbourhoods in Edmonton has sharply risen in 2024, due in large part to the city's zoning bylaw renewal, which came into effect in January 2024. Under the new bylaw, child-care services are now permitted use in most standard zones — including small-scale residential areas. That marks a major shift from the previous bylaw, which treated such developments as discretionary, subject to longer review times and more opportunity for resident objections. In 2024, the city approved 26 child-care centres in residential buildings in small-scale residential zones. The city said in total, 204 development permits were approved for child-care services last year, which is about double the number approved in each of the previous five years 'We need more spaces' Coun. Michael Janz, who chairs the city's urban planning committee, said expanding neighbourhood-based child care is essential to meet demand. "We've been short child-care spaces," Janz said in an interview last week. "Some families have been having to go outside of their neighbourhood to find child care." Janz supports smaller, locally rooted options as opposed to massive "mega-centres." "Eventually, what I hope we get towards is less of the big mega child-care centres, and more small neighbourhood-based opportunities so that wherever you are in Edmonton, wherever your family is, there can be a child-care option that's accessible and affordable and close to you," he said in an interview. Krystal Churcher is the co-chair of ACE National — a movement that promotes and advocates for affordable and accessible child care. She said the province has a big need for more child-care spaces. "Alberta has seen substantial growth," she said in an interview last month. "I believe that there are families desperately needing child care." Parking, noise, and waste: a growing debate Johnston's concerns go beyond parking and traffic. According to a proposed site plan, waste bins for the child-care centre may be located along the side of the property, right by her walkway to her backyard. She also worries about noise from outdoor play disrupting neighbours, especially those who work from home or do shift work. Erin Rutherford, city councillor for the Ward Anirniq, which includes the Canossa neighbourhood, said the property follows the guidelines needed to develop the centre. "That one was specific to what was allowed in our zoning bylaw and what we have done is we said that those child-care centres when they're in residential areas are really limited in size so that is where the mitigation factor has come in," she said. The city commissioned a traffic study, conducted as part of a one-year review of child care services. It found that "less than half of pick-up and drop-off spaces were used during peak periods", and that "17 per cent of trips to and from centres were made by walking or cycling". Still, the report noted that corner lots are the most suitable for day homes due to traffic flow. Limited options for appeals Under the new bylaw, many child-care centres that meet zoning regulations are considered permitted use, leaving residents with fewer avenues to formally oppose them. Once Johnston had filed her appeal, she typed up a newsletter and went door-to-door to residents in her neighbourhood, encouraging them to appeal or submit their comments. "There's not one person I spoke to that was in favour of this child care, simply the parking, the noise, the waste, it's just too big." Johnston said Edmontonians need to have their voices heard on these types of developments. "To say in that [zoning] renewal that they want to give Edmontonians what they want, how can you give Edmontonians what they want if you're now having all these permitted uses which takes away the voice of Edmontonians, so how do you know what they want?"
CTV News
30-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Big infills on docket for discussion at Edmonton public hearing
An Edmonton infill project is seen on June 24, 2025. (CTV News Edmonton/Cam Wiebe) Edmonton city council is discussing infill rules at a public hearing on Monday morning. Council is expected to debate changes to Edmonton's updated zoning bylaw, which came into effect January 2024. Those include amendments from Ward papastew Coun. Michael Janz that would reduce the number of homes allowed on an interior lot from eight to six in small-scale residential zones, as well as limit the maximum building length on those lots. Janz, who is a supporter of infill housing, said he's heard concerns from residents that the large builds are impacting privacy and parking for nearby residents. Ward pihêsiwin Councillor and mayoral candidate Tim Cartmell is expected to introduce a motion for an all-out moratorium on mid-block infill developments, saying a pause is needed for more neighbourhood consultation. Ward Nakota Isga Coun. Andrew Knack, who is also running for mayor, has said he believes amending and refining the zoning bylaw is a better way forward considering the city's need for more affordable housing. More to come… With files from CTV News Edmonton Jeremy Thompson, Craig Ellingson and Connor Hogg
CBC
24-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
Edmonton city councillor and mayoral candidate calls for infill moratorium
Social Sharing Mayoral candidate and Ward pihêsiwin Coun. Tim Cartmell is calling for a moratorium on infill development and said he plans to move a motion at Edmonton city council's public hearing next week targeting large mid-block buildings. Cartmell announced his plan in a news release on Tuesday, saying the city's infill strategy has moved too fast and "we need to pause, reflect, and fix what's broken before we approve more of the same." The release said his motion would place a moratorium on all new infill development, but Cartmell said in an interview that it would apply primarily to mid-block developments while the city re-examines plans for its 15 "districts," or collections of neighbourhoods. Cartmell said it's not the smaller infill developments — like duplexes and skinny homes — angering people in older neighbourhoods, but the large, monolithic buildings that have been popping up between single-family homes. "It's those very provocative developments that we need to get in front of," he said. Cartmell's announcement comes about a week before a public hearing in which amendments to Edmonton's revamped zoning bylaw will be discussed. The zoning bylaw, which came into effect last year and streamlined the city's zoning regulations to allow for more infill development and density across the city, has been divisive. Its proponents say it is accelerating housing development during a national housing affordability crisis — there was a 30 per cent increase in approved units last year, after the bylaw was enacted — and will save the city money since it's much more expensive to service new neighbourhoods. Critics of the bylaw have taken issue with the pace and scale of development it permits, saying more large multi-unit buildings will fundamentally change their neighbourhoods' character. They have raised concerns about traffic, parking, tree loss and emergency vehicle access, among other issues. Cartmell, who voted to support zoning bylaw renewal and wrote in a blog post last summer that he " absolutely support[s] infill," said a significant amount of the work done to rewrite the bylaw was positive. He said he doesn't want a return to discretionary approvals, but rather a departure from a "one-size-fits-all" approach. He said neighbourhoods' differences should be incorporated into the city's infill policies. "I fear that if we don't actually begin listening to the people that are affected, we're going to lose it all," he said. Evan Wood, a spokesperson with SaveYEG, a group fighting against recent zoning changes, said he was pleased to see Cartmell call for a pause on infill. He said SaveYEG wants to see mature neighbourhoods protected against growth that is unreasonable and unsafe. "This is a good start and I'm hopeful some other councillors will jump on board," he said. Jacob Dawang, an advocate with Grow Together Edmonton, called Cartmell's proposal a "completely irresponsible move" that could lead to higher taxes, rents and housing costs. "It's such a ridiculous proposition for a big city like Edmonton, that's growing like we are, that it does take me aback," he said. Eight-plexes in Edmonton up for debate at city hall 5 days ago Duration 1:49 Eight-plexes are going up around Edmonton since the city's revised zoning bylaw took effect a year and a half ago. City councillors are getting some complaints, prompting a motion to limit mid-block housing to six units. Others say keep the current zoning; housing density means more affordable options. Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi, who is not running for re-election this fall, said the city needs to continue on the path of allowing more infill development for financial and environmental reasons. "When opportunities come to refurbish or demolish and build new, creating conditions to build a fourplex or duplex or sixplex is the right approach to take," he said at an unrelated news conference on Tuesday. City council's urban planning committee voted earlier this month to support amending the zoning bylaw to reduce the number of allowable units in mid-block row houses from eight to six. Cartmell has said he intends to support that change. Sean Sedgwick, the executive director of the Infill Development in Edmonton Association (IDEA), urged city councillors in a letter Tuesday to not approve that reduction and other proposed changes. In a statement to CBC News, he said restrictive zoning practices constraining the supply of housing are a major cause of housing unaffordability in other Canadian cities and calling for a moratorium on infill homes would recreate the problem in Edmonton. "IDEA firmly believes that infill will help our mature neighbourhoods remain sustainable, vibrant places that even more people can enjoy," he said.
